Under Your Spell
by Lady Stranger
Summary: AU: Prompted by anonymous reviewer. Based on Bewitched. Emma is walking home one day and she witnesses Regina using magic. It's a small chance encounter between our two ladies. SQ One Shot.


I do not own Once. All characters belong to their respectful owners.

A/N: Tell me what you think of this One-Shot? ;)

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**Under Your Spell**

(One shot, for realz..don't ask for more T-T)

It has to be a dream, Emma tells herself, eyes closed, lips sucked in and heart beating so fast, she's sure her well being is threatened. She can feel sweat trickle down her spine, and down the hollow of her palms and into the asphalt covered streets of Los Angeles; even though the hour is early in the morning and the air is light and cold against her face.

She blinks, yes,_ it's a dream_; she's dreaming right now. If not a dream, then something similar in its nature. Because what else would it be if not a clever illusion or a mind trick of some sort? How can she explain that a human being, a woman, has just waved her hand in the air, completely erasing the black-colored smoke, and reshaped the bumper of her Mercedes; dent-free and shiny as new.

Emma blinks again, and then again and again. The sun's not out yet, and she can't comprehend why she felt the compelling urge to go grocery shopping at such a young hour. She's certainly never done it before, so why now? Why did she crave frozen pizza for breakfast and cheap one-dollar donuts from the nearest Seven Eleven.

Her stomach grumbles, and then she's reminded. The little demon inside her wants to eat a bunch of crappy food -not that she's really complaining about the food- and so she had to follow his demonic orders and leave the comfort of her house, her bed and warmth it offered, only to witness an unusual accident unravel before her eyes.

"Peasant!" She hears the woman yell, and Emma is brought back to reality, dropping the grocery bag to the ground. The brunette clears the knots in her neck, and stretches her back as she walks back to the driver's seat. The man who'd caused the accident, making the woman swerve out of course and hit a street lamp, long gone along with the civilization of our yesterdays. Oh how Emma misses those days.

She should turn around and walk away, but she's never been a woman to leave curious things alone; Emma's just not that person. And if that woman has some outer-space mojo shit that can instantly fix cars, then what if the woman can conjure up money on the spot? And Emma definitely needs the money when the baby comes, not even 5 months from now she'd be out of job and penniless. So before the woman could jump inside the car:

"Excuse me," Emma says, clearing her throat. "I saw that."

The woman jumps out her skin with a big yelp, turning to face the blonde, and glares at her. Eyes wide, and her hands are held in front of her as if ready to fight, and Emma can nearly see a shimmering coming from the inside of the woman's palms. It almost looks like...like...

_Fire._

"Whoah," Emma holds up her hands in surrender. "I didn't mean to scare you...I'm harmless, I promise." She takes a step closer, and the brunette takes a step back and under the lamp's warm light she stands.

Emma's eyes widen. The brunette woman is drop-dead gorgeous with just as gorgeous body to accompany that face. She's wearing skin-tight black jeans, lavender silk shirt -unbuttoned, Emma notes- a navy blazer to accent the shirt, and some fancy black, 10-centimeter high heels.

"What do you want!?" The woman says, and Emma drags her eyes away.

"I saw what that man did to you, such a jerk," she offers in explanation, forgoing her plan to ask the brunette for a handful of magic-ed money bills. She's honestly hadn't thought this through, and from the looks of it, this woman seems far more dangerous from a simple hit-and-run jackass.

The woman narrows her eyes, but the her hands drop down to her sides and she sighs, "they're so many these days," she offers a small smile, glancing at her car, and Emma can tell the brunette wants to leave, but Emma can't help but wanting to chat more. It might have started as simple curiosity, but now the blonde is actually interested in this woman.

This beautiful angel.

"I'm Emma," she finally says, extending her hand. "Emma Swan."

The woman bites on her lower lip for a moment as she thinks, but then she accepts the handshake, "Kate," she says, and Emma smiles.

"You don't look like a Kate," her hand hanging on to 'Kate's' for a second too long, before letting go completely.

"Oh, really?" Kate says, "who do I look like, then?"

"A goddess for one," Emma says, winking at the woman, who in turn raises a brow at her. "But if I had to name that goddess, her name would be something far more special than 'Kate'." She takes a step closer, "far more exotic, too." She whispers.

Kate shakes her head, turning to open her car door, "well, sorry to disappoint, Ms Emma Swan." She slides inside the car, and Emma starts to panic. She's never met anyone like this woman before, and it feels like such a waste to just walk away from such a mind-blowing encounter.

"Wait," Emma all but shouts, "please," she says, walking over to the Mercedes, and kneeling down to be on eye level with the brunette who cracks the window slightly open. "Go on a date with me?"

Kate rolls her eyes, turning the key in the ignition, "lets see...you're a stranger who's out and about this early in the morning, shopping for frozen pizza it seems, and.." She trails, her nose crinkling in disgust, and eyeing the rest of the contents of the discarded grocery bag. "Whatever else is inside that bag-"

"-What does that has to do with me asking you out?" Emma says, her brows knit together.

Kate smirks, "those are the reasons I'm saying 'no', dear."

Emma chuckles, and Kate glares, "if you're scared, then just say so." Her fists tighten inside her jacket pockets, and she shifts from foot to the other. "We both know those are not good reasons to say no, but hey..if you can't handle one date with-"

"-Let me make your life a bit easier, dear, that method won't work with me."

Emma's shoulder slumps, and she looks away in shame, "sorry," she murmurs, and this time it's Kate's turn to chuckle.

Emma sighs, "then do tell me, dear," she mocks, "what method would work on you?"

Kate sighs, "do you ever give up, Ms Swan?"

"I do, actually. I always do," Emma says, and it's the truth. She'd given up on school, on her last relationship, and on about every other responsible decision she'd had to make in the past. There was also that one time she ran away from school because there was some important test that presumably counts for 30% of the whole grade; who can take that kind of pressure?

Well, certainly not Emma Swan, that's for sure.

But this woman, this magical woman, Emma can't seem to let go. It all feels like fate, even though she's never used that word before, it does feel that way. Like they were supposed to meet, she and this mystery woman. This pull she feels towards her, that's not something that can be mixed with lust, nor is it something can be ignored.

"But you won't give up on me? I'm very flattered," Kate says flatly.

"No," Emma says, "I'm probably gonna give up on you if you keep saying no, but maybe if you like say it a hundred time-"

"No, no, no, no, no, no-"

"-Hey!" Emma interrupts, her face coloring in embarrassment, "you don't have to be so mean."

Kate chuckles, her voice throaty and for the first time since she's met this woman, Emma feels arousal -mixed with interest and warm, fuzzy feelings.

"Come on," Emma prods, placing her hand on the window, leaving her print on the glass. "Give me just one chance, dear Kate...or whoever you are." She knows she's being desperate at this point, but who's watching?

Kate is silent, but Emma notes that she doesn't just drive off, which she totally could've done like ten minutes ago. Perhaps she does have a chance, she thinks, this woman is still talking to her; a complete stranger like Kate had mentioned.

"Is it because I'm a woman?" Emma suddenly asks, "are you not into that?"

Kate smirks, but still doesn't say anything. Emma takes away her hand from the window, "that explains it then..." She nods in agreement, standing up, but still leaning forward to watch the brunette. "I can't think up of a better reason why you keep-" Emma trails, her baby demon doing a flip inside her stomach.

"You little bastard," she grits out, feeling the urge to use the toilet. She'd already peed before leaving her apartment, but she did spend all this time standing up.

"Excuse me?" Kate says, already shifting gear.

Emma's head snaps up, "oh, no. I didn't mean you...it's this stupid baby, he wants to eat, and play and use the toilet all at the same time. Like I'm some sort of-"

Kate's eyes widen, "-you're pregnant!?" She says, for the first time noticing Emma's bloated tummy. She motions for Emma to step away from the car, and steps out herself. "Do you have a car I can take you to?"

Emma looks behind her at the road leading to her tiny apartment, "uh..not really, but I live close by. I can walk."

Kate stares for a while at the road ahead, then back at Emma, "are you sure? I can drive you there."

"Really..." Emma says with a defeated sigh, "I spend half an hour trying to ask you out, and this works for you?"

The brunette glares, "you're not..not pregnant?"

"I am!" Emma exclaims, but it hurts that she's losing to a baby who's not even born yet. The baby's father, Neal, had been out of the picture as soon as he had heard the news, and in a small place at the back of her mind, she might be blaming her unborn child for that. Just a tiny bit; just so she doesn't lost her mind wondering why no one would love her.

"I'll tell you what," Kate says after a few moments of thinking, "get in the car and I'll drive you home."

"Uh," Emma eyes the car suspiciously, "but I don't even know you..." She says, her mind going back to the magic display she'd seen earlier. It's fine if she flirts, just as long as she's able to escape should anything wrong happen and she can't do that from inside a car. Well, not with boxer-baby inside her.

"Is that so?" Kate says, "well then. I'll be on my way." She moves back to the car, but Emma's hand is on her forearm, preventing her from talking another step.

"Wait," she says again, "you have to see it from my point of view, would you really get inside a car with a stranger if you were pregnant? I mean he's a little obnoxious, but I still love the little man."

The brunette raises a brow, "fair enough." She says, but she doesn't say anything more. Emma studies the woman, she looks like she wants to leave, but she's torn between that and between helping a pregnant woman get home.

"Look," Emma finally says, "I know you don't know me, but I really feel like I'm...enchanted by you. It's cliché, but it's the truth. So if not as my date, lets start out as friends, alright?"

Kate purses her lips, "and?"

Emma smiles, "you tell me your name, your real name, and I'll get inside that car."

The other woman bites on her lip in thought, but then nods once, "alright. Get inside the car."

Emma shakes her head, "that method won't work on me. Your name first."

The brunette looks away, and it is she who blushes in shame this time. She stares at Emma for a moment, before stepping closer to the blonde. "You were right about one thing, though."

Emma's breath catches in her lungs, "and what is that?" She whispers, her eyes falling to the other woman's lips, then meeting her eyes.

"I don't look like a Kate, but I definitely look like a Regina,"she whispers, her voice that throaty tone Emma finds she likes so much, and before Emma could respond, Regina is inside the car, waiting for her to slide inside as well.


End file.
